Anderson Advertising and Public Relations is a Scottsdale-based marketing firm that has provided advertising services for renowned Arizona business enterprises and not for profits since 2005. Their clients have included:
- Phoenix Children’s Hospital.
- Make a Wish Foundation.
- Harkins Theaters.
- Desert Financial Credit Union.
They have also worked with the Arizona Democratic Party and Democratic Candidates for Legislative and Congressional District Offices like:
- Charlene Fernandez.
- Christine Marsh.
- Judy Schweibert.
- Kelli Butler.
- Coral Evans.
- Gerae Peten
- Anita Malik.
- Joan Greene.
- Aaron Lieberman.
- Doug Ervin.
Anderson Advertising has decided to create a whole new division dedicated to promoting Democratic Candidates in the 2022 election cycle and afterward.
Called Matters of State Strategies, this new political arm of Anderson Advertising, will focus on helping Democratic candidates with all campaign features including:
- Campaign Strategy.
- Public Relations.
- Television and Radio Production.
- Graphic Design.
- Digital and social media advertising.
- Fundraising.
- Event Planning.
- Candidate website design and maintenance.
The President of Matters of State Strategies is Ted Anderson.
Former Arizona Democratic Party director of communications Matt Grodsky is the Vice President and Director of Public Affairs.
Mr. Grodsky took some time to discuss Matters of State Strategies and its goals for 2022 and beyond.
The questions and his responses are below.
1) In building for a successful foundation for 2022 and 2024, what were at least two factors that contributed to the success for Matters of State Strategies clients in 2020 like Christine Marsh, Judy Schweibert, and Charlene Fernandez that you and your team will work to repeat?
- Understanding a candidate’s audience mindset is critical. Once you have that you can craft a message that resonates across various mediums. That was one of the primary elements to these campaigns being successful.
- The team spent a lot of time working with Aaron Lieberman and Kelli Butler in 2018, which allowed them to get very well versed in LD28. When it came time to help Christine Marsh in 2020, they had a strong grasp on the district and what motivated voters.
- Each LD has different voters in different parts of the district. And customizing the messaging for different target voters was instrumental in persuading the voters.
- We find that in red/purple districts, center-left messaging has broader appeal and that’s a key ingredient to success in a battleground state across the board.
2) In building for a successful foundation for 2022 and 2024, what were at least two factors that contributed to the defeat for Matters of State Strategies clients in 2020 like Coral Evans, Dr. Gerae Peten, Joan Greene, Anita Malik, and Doug Ervin that you and your team will work to counter?
- Each race is different so it’s not just one factor that contributed to them coming up short. It is several.
- If I had to pick two, I’d say the unexpected red wave turnout and the move of Republicans and Independents who voted blue at the top of the ticket but then returned to their Republican comfort zones down-ballot, even for extreme candidates like Wendy Rogers.
- So what to do? Game out what the new maps will look like, help to close the voter registration gap by a wide margin, and hit the ground running earlier with data-driven campaigns.
Mr. Grodsky also relayed that while Donald Trump not being on the ballot may give way to voter apathy among Democrats, the ideology of Trumpism will be on the ballot and it is necessary to counter that divisive turn-the-clock-back message with an inclusive, forward-looking one that will appeal to a broad coalition of voters and make sure they turn out to defeat Republicans. Furthermore, Grodsky said Matters of State would have strategies designed for rural communities, motivating higher Democratic voter turnout as well as voting for down-ballot races like county and legislative district offices that will align with voter desires and a Democratic Governor should he or she be elected in 2022.
3) Right now, looking to 2022, in your opinion, what are the most three important issues candidates should campaign on to voters?
Data will inform everything that we do for each candidate we represent. Understanding their unique audiences across various districts and different parts of the state is the key to success. We have found that issues aren’t as red and blue as people want them to be. It’s all about addressing the Republicans’ caricature of what Democrats are versus what Arizona Democrats actually are.
The three important issues candidates should be honing their message on are:
- Healthcare – How do we make healthcare more accessible, affordable, and how do we protect it from dangerous Republican legislation?
- Jobs – How are Democrats going to help Arizonans bounce back from the COVID-19 recession?
- Promises kept – Harken back to what we promised we would achieve in 2020 and share what we have achieved since taking office. For instance, House Democrats have advanced voting rights protections, gun safety legislation and Democrats in both chambers passed the American Rescue Plan, which will benefit millions of Americans.
Mr. Grodsky also said Democratic candidates (especially the legislative district ones) will have to focus on education and voting rights issues as well as counter GOP messaging about immigration and law enforcement, which Republicans will try to use as wedge issues
4) Will Matters of State Strategies work to either register new voters, educate them on new voter requirements, and help turn out the vote? Please explain.
Yes. When promoting candidates, a key aspect of engaging with their supporters is motivating an action. And that action is not just donating or voting on election days. It’s making sure that supporters are registered, that their friends and family are registered, and that they know how they are voting. That’s going to be a key aspect of what we do on behalf of candidates we work with. Matters of State Strategies is eager to help the party educate potential candidates on the meaningful impact people can have running for and holding office.
5) Will Matters of State Strategy work to educate voters and legislative districts after redistricting is completed? Please explain.
Absolutely. Right now, it looks as though we won’t have new maps until maybe December. That’s still enough time before the early April filing deadline and our primary is still far enough away for candidates to get organized. But there will certainly be layers of confusion amongst those running and of course the voters. We’ll be looking to educate both.
6) Are there already candidates for 2022 that your organization has already agreed to work for? Are there any you are actively recruiting? Please advise which ones if possible.
We will be announcing our candidates and organization partners in the weeks to come.
Please call 480 945 2220 for more information on Matters of State Strategies.
Please visit their website at mattersofstatestrategies.com.
Good scoop and wonderful resource, David.